Archive for the ‘garden’ Category

I have been guilty of a most heinous offence against nature. It was entirely unintentional and purely accidental. I seek absolution for this sin.

I have been moving things in my shed. Winter approaches (did it actually leave?) Logs for my burner moved to a more convenient position for bringing indoors when it rains. I worked for several hours when, to my horror, I realised I had been the unwitting bailiff in Gods creation and a poor little field mouse had lost his home.

Yes, it’s true. I knew we had field mice overwintering in my garage. Every year I make sure there is plenty of material for bedding and food for my little visitors. I had no idea they had expanded to the point where they had taken up residence in Chez Shed. I suppose the only good thing is that at this time of year they will have returned to wherever they come from.

So there we have it, my unexpected house / shed guests have had their beds destroyed by an unthinking pigpen.

Later this year I will have to get a box for them so I don’t disturb them when I start taking the new logs which will soon replace the old.

A glorious day, now, as I sit at my keyboard. I am devoid of energy having been working non stop for the last six days. At least I have had the chance to look at my ‘tubs’ and discovered that a variety of courgettes that are all yellow seem to be doing quite well. When The One comes home tonight I will have prepared garlic courgette and pasta for supper.

The grass grows apace and thanks to Bealtane Cottage I now view this as a harvest rather than just a chore. Colx you have no idea …

Blue skies and bright sun pour through my window lifting the spirits. Two more days before the intrusion of work oppresses my senses.

It now seems that Tesco think that by making the store appear more rustic they can con the great British public into thinking the store cares about the environment. Come on, just be honest, you are the Arthur Daley of supermarkets. Anything to turn a quick profit without so much as a fleeting thought of the impact the actions of Tesco may have on our world.

It wouldn’t be so bad if the labelling was accurate so that shoppers could rely on the information provided. They should turn the stores over to the local community so that they could be used to sell truly local organic produce, or better still share around the surplus among the needy each taking what they need and no more.

I hope that I am witnessing the first cracks in the unsustainable profiteering of this capitalist society leading to the destruction of our current wasteful system and the birth of real sustainability. Probably not but we, I, live in hope.

It’s no good. I have been trying to think of something grumpy to say. A wrong to rail against, a politician to lambast, something to vent about. My heart is not in it.

The sun has come to Saelig Sussex in abundance. My rest days have arrived, Monday morning was lost due to the lateness of my finishing work but the birds woke me with their exuberant song. But hist, strange light through my curtains.

A few chores done, then out to the allotment. Devastation, my quinoa that was growing so well has been eaten, in place of the crop a few stmpy stems and weeds 😦

Four hours of weeding and re seeding followed. Not a cloud, just broiling sun.

In fact my new found sense of well being has become almost irrational. Tuesday broke clear and fine with another splendid day at the allotment, relocating a small poly tunnel and cutting grass that was ‘as high as an elephants eye’. Exhausted by the heat I went back to my garden potting up some seed (to replace plants destroyed by slugs, pigeons and whatever else has nibbled). The One and I decided to go for a walk. The Tesco walk. The ONLY good thing to come out of our local superstore is free safe parking very close to a stunning walk. It is the only thing I use the store for but today I am grateful for the facility.

… and I’m not talking about the dinosaurs. It seems that the flora and fauna of the planet are dying in droves. Once the impact of humans reaches a tipping point, if we haven’t already, there is a danger of a chain reaction from which there will be no recovery. It seems to me that if we are using dying people in Bangladesh to make fat people thin (see previous post) then there is little chance that any government will care about a few dead plants or animals.

Last time the mass extinction was probably caused by an asteroid strike. This time it is a longer slower process caused by US.

I thought I had better make full use of the SUN, yes we have sun today. I mentioned my cherry tree earlier,

It is on the shaded side of the house.

Some other images from my garden this morning. The sun is so bright it has bleached out some of the colour and the dwarf apple was moving in the ‘breeze’ so it’s not very clear, oh well I tried. Hope you enjoy this small piece of saelig sussex.